This invention relates to explosive devices, especially those of a military nature, and is more particularly directed to a warhead to be used in shells, rockets, and/or missiles. The improved warhead of this invention is favorably employed with weapons that can be used for attacking tanks or other armored vehicles whose armor may be rolled homogenous armor (RHA), spaced armor, composite armor, or active armor.
The advent of new types of armor, especially the so-called active armors, has spurred development of a new concept employing tandem-mounted shaped charge warheads, which employ two or more shaped explosive charges. Detonation of the first or forward charge brings about, sequentially, that of the second, but with a delay time (.DELTA.T) between the two.
The above delay is necessary, for one thing, to prevent the second charge from detonating until after the outer or active protection has been destroyed, this delay interval corresponding to the life of the active armor; the delay is also necessary to prevent the jet blast from the first charge explosion from being overtaken by the jet blast from that of the second charge. The optimum delay time .DELTA.T varies according to both the nature and the thickness of the plates that comprise the active armor, and depends as well on the projectile's angle of incidence onto the target. Too long a delay time .DELTA.T can lead to unfavorable consequences in operation. For example, excessive delay time .DELTA.T can require an increase in the optimal or stand-off range of the second explosive charge and a reduction in the speed of the projectile, and can lead to an increase in the interaction between the two charges.